Top 12 Ball Lightning Folklore from Around the World: #7 Will Send Chills Down Your Spine

5. The Fairy Lights of Celtic Tradition

Ball lightning is sometimes connected in Celtic folklore—especially in Ireland and Scotland—with the magical domain of fairies and other supernatural entities. Celtic folklore holds that mischievous fairies or elves make these glowing orbs—also known as "fairy lights," "pixie lights," or "elf fire—as they dance and play in the night. Said to be doorways to the fairy realm, the lights show up in woodlands, meadows, and around the margins of fairy rings—round patterns of mushrooms. Certain stories have these orbs as lanterns carried by small fairy beings as they go about their nightly business. In other tales, the lights serve as markers of fairy land or luring devices for gullible people into the fairy realm—forms of fairy magic. Following these captivating lights might have terrible results, according to Celtic mythology, including years or even centuries of being imprisoned in the fairy realm. Not all interactions with fairy lights, nevertheless, are thought to be hazardous. Some stories say that people pure of heart who come upon these magical orbs could be granted wishes or given unique gifts from the fairy folk. In Celtic tradition, the idea of fairy lights frequently combines with other folklore motifs, such the Will-o'-the-Wisp, to create a rich tapestry of supernatural ideas around the ball lightning occurrence. With ball lightning acting as a physical expression of the enigmatic powers inhabiting their legendary terrain, this surviving tradition expresses the profound connection to nature and belief in a world where magic and reality mix among the Celtic people.